Bro Culture Rules Even In A Philosophy Department

[eridani]

On Friday, the University of Colorado–Boulder released a scathing report from an independent investigating team about sexual misconduct in one of its top humanities programs, the department of philosophy. The report, commissioned, it seems, under the misguided assumption that its findings would remain private, details a female-unfriendly environment of sexual harassment that could be fodder for a sequel to The Wolf of Wall Street, if only philosophers made any money.

The damning 15-page report is the result of extensive on-site interviews with administration, faculty, staff, and students, undertaken by the American Philosophical Association’s Committee on the Status of Women. The committee concluded that despite its enviable academics, CU’s department “maintains an environment with unacceptable sexual harassment, inappropriate sexualized unprofessional behavior, and divisive uncivil behavior.”

In addition to the 15 official complaints filed with CU’s Office of Discrimination and Harassment since 2007, the report details a near-universal witnessing of “harassment and inappropriate sexualized professional behavior” at alcohol-soaked extracurricular activities. Further, a large portion of the faculty either were “not knowledgeable about the harms of sexual harassment,” or were “not sufficiently familiar” with university policy, state law, or federal law.

And those who were? Not to worry, they used their sharp analytical minds for the noblest possible purpose: to employ “pseudo-philosophical” discourse, in a valiant effort to comply with the harassment policy’s letter, but not its spirit. If a hand smacks an ass, but nobody in HR hears it, does it make a sound?

[Tuesday Afternoon]

1. Where, on the internet, can one find this fifteen page report?

I would be very much interested in reading it.

Thanks.

[JTFrog]

3. Here you go

http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_25035043/cu-sexual-harassment-philosophy-department

The report is included at the end of the article.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

4. thanks for the link. Will get back to you on it.

I really do have to leave shortly.

Will be back on later this evening and post my impressions.

[Sheldon Cooper]

5. Thanks for the link.

I just read the report and it's frustratingly short on specifics. It's full of vague references to lack of support and lots of bad behavior, but not many details. Still, it's good that the university and the department can now try to move on.

[ismnotwasm]

2. This is a huge problem

Women philosophers have been trying to point the overt sexism in the discipline for some time now. there are some great minds being wasted. I used to subscribe to "Hypatia" a quarterly feminist philosophy journal and a good essay could improve how I think-- literally. Given that the ground work of philosophy was laid done by males, women philosophers are amazing. ( philosophy is not my background, some times I would read a little and then visit google!)

And another thing; philosophy is in trouble, as a discipline, you don't make much money, it's not considered practical except as an under degree. You'd think they'd grow up. (In nursing, before there was a PhD program, for. nurses, we would often get our doctorate in philosophy--not an easy discipline, neither is nursing, but a specific doctorate is nursing focused.